MyFitnessPal is one of the most comprehensive platforms to track your food and nutrition, making it a valuable resource for people working towards a weight or health goal. By tracking your intake, you can ID eating patterns, such as eating too few vegetables or too much fat.
But it is one consistent Logging practices that have been shown to help people get more successful in achieving their goals. (1)
So we will dive into how MyFitnessPal’s food database works, goes over some logging accidents that can cause inaccuracies – and discuss ways to prevent them – and share practical tips to make the most of food tracking without being overwhelmed.
How MyFitnessPal’s Food Database works
MyFitnessPal’s Food Database is a comprehensive food library. It offers detailed nutritional information such as calories, macronutrients and some micronutrients such as calcium and sodium.
With over 20.5 million foods, It is one of the largest food databases in the world. You can find food from a large selection of kitchens, restaurants and packed food marks. Whether you count carbohydrates, look at sodium or balance your macros, MyFitnessPal’s database will simplify tracking for you.
There are a few different categories in the food database:
- Best match: These items are labeled at the top of your search results. They were created and verified by MyFitnessPal’s team of registered dietitians. Choose these when possible to get the most accurate and complete results for plain logged foods.
- Verified foods: When MyFitnessPal has reviewed or added a food to our database and believes the nutrition information is accurate, the food is marked with a green checkmark.
- Member submitted food: Any time you see a food without a check, it was submitted by a MyFitnessPal member like you and has not been reviewed by MyFitnessPal.
The meaning of logging accuracy
While accuracy in food logging can help improve the awareness of the ingestion of calorie and nutrients, it is important to remember Perfection is not necessary for progress. It is often better to create a balance between accuracy, consistency and your reason.
So don’t feel like you have to get everything exactly right, log all the piece you put in your mouth, or log every single day.
Actually on average MyFitnessPal users who log their food at least four days in their first week are seven times more likely to show progress towards their weight loss goals than those who do not. So stay with it as best you can!
Using MyFitnessPal’s premium features such as voice or barcode scanner can help track even faster and more manageable.
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Common challenges
One challenge that many users face is to determine part sizes. Don’t worry, it’s not just you! Studies suggest that people are commonly failed by sub -sizes for various reasons, including (2):
- The size of a serving plate
- Whether the food is a single device (such as a large cookie or sandwich)
- Large restaurant parts that can be two portions or more
- Variability in user -submitted data
Try to use vocal logs if you are not sure of the part size. Just eye on your portion sizes, and use the vocal log to add things like “a handful of blueberries” or “a chicken breast in palm size.” Voters will help interpret these parts to you.
Of course, food scales, measuring cups and measurement of spoons are the most accurate way to log part sizes. You don’t have to do this all the time, but Stephanie Nelson, RD, MyFitnessPal’s leading nutrition researcher, suggests to make sure you have an awareness of your most used foods, such as a tablespoon of oil, 5 ounces of chicken or a cup of cooked oatmeal.
About the experts
Samantha Cassetty, MS, RD, is a nationally recognized food and nutritionist, media personality, nutrition consultant and author. Cassetty is a former nutrition director for good household and co -author of the book Sugar Shock.
Stephanie Nelson, MS, RD is a registered dietitian and is MyFitnessPal’s internal nutritionist and nutritionist. Passionate to promote healthy lifestyle, Stephanie graduated from San Diego State University with a focus on research and disease prevention
Tips for logging exactly using MyfitnessPal
Here are some ways to help improve your experience when using MyFitnessPal:
1. Select Best Match & Verified Food -Posts when possible
For the most accurate tracking, you need to prioritize MyFitnessPal’s verified foods and best match posts. Verified foods, marked with a green checkmark, come from trusted sources, while the best match items attached to the top of the search results are curated by MyFitnessPal’s registered dietitians.
2. Use the new voting ridge function (premium function)
Voice logging can help simplify faster tracking by allowing you to describe your food choices and portion sizes orally. For example, you can say, “I had peanut butter the size of my thumb.” The tool identifies the best matches in the database. I love this feature because it can help save time while logging my meals.
3. Take advantage of the barcode scanner (the Premium feature)
For packaged foods, the barcode scanner is the way to go. By scanning the product’s barcode, MyFitnessPal draws accurate nutrition information directly from the label, reduces guesses and helps make logging faster.
4. Customize Foods and Recipes
When cooking at home, use the “Create a recipe” feature to log each ingredient. When these recipes are stored, these recipes can be reused for future meals, so you don’t have to add individual ingredients again. This makes your logs more consistent and practical.
5. Make a meal
This is another way to improve accuracy while saving time. “Meals are combinations of foods you typically do in a serving of steps. If you go into a meal in your diary, just press these 3 dots and press Save as a meal. And then, if you want to log it again, just search the tab” My Meals “with food search. Then, boom! You can log a whole meal in seconds!” explains Nelson.
For example, I eat the same smoothie at repeat, so I have that combination of smoothie ingredients stored as a meal, which prevents me from having to search and add the ingredients one by one. You can do this for everything you eat repeatedly, such as your usual sandwich, salad, oats overnight, etc.
6. Prohibit your meals
If you are trying to hit some specific macro or nutrient targets, it may be helpful to plan your meals and log them in advance. That way, you can see in advance how meals support you as you work towards these daily goals – and make adjustments before eating to stay on track.
Addressing common concerns for the accuracy of food logging
MyFitnessPal’s database is constantly evolving to meet the needs of our members. Still you may have some concerns. Here are a few common and how to handle them.
“What if I can’t find my exact food?”
Don’t worry if your exact food is not listed in the MyFitnessPal database. With over 20.5 million items, the database is incredibly comprehensive and can include a close match. Plus, you can always add a food that is missing.
You can always prioritize the best match items curated by registered dietitians or foods with a green checkmark, indicating that they come from a reliable source and have been reviewed and verified by MyFitnessPal. If you are on the premium plan, the barcode scanner and voice logging features are great ways to log your food faster.
“Are all database items accurate?”
While MyFitnessPal’s database is one of the largest in the world, you can sometimes encounter wrong items.
If a post looks like, report it using the “Report a Food” feature at the bottom of the screen. This will help mark a post for our experts to review. This also helps to improve the database for everyone, so do not sleep on items that seem inaccurate.
Consistency is key – come on start now! Logging only a few days a week can make a difference. Open the MyFitnessPal app now and start by building a habit that works for you!
The post understanding of MyFitnessPal’s food database and logging accuracy first appeared on the MyFitnessPal blog.